Joselito Malig

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: Alexandra Eala of the Philippines serves to Laura Siegemund of Germany on Day 3 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida.   Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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Alex Eala

Dyan Castillejo

ABS-CBN News

(UPDATED) Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala opened her HSBC Championships campaign with a dominant 6-3 6-2 victory over China&#x27;s Zhang Shuai on Tuesday night (Philippine Time).Fresh from her Birmingham Open title victory, her match against Zhang was Eala&#x27;s debut appearance at the WTA 500 event in London.The 37-year old Zhang, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, came out of the blocks quickly and broke Eala’s serve to lead 2-0.However, Eala quickly settled into the match and broke back to level at 2-2. The Filipina then took control. Pounding away with powerful groundstrokes, Eala broke again with a beautiful backhand cross-court passing shot to lead 5-3, and closed out the first set 6-3.Eala saved several break points throughout the match, but her confidence on the grass was evident.Despite the Filipina being outpaced in winners (6 to 16) in Zhang’s favor, it was the Chinese veteran’s unforced errors that swung the set in Eala’s direction.Eala carried the momentum into the second set. One of her most outstanding qualities on display was her relentless pursuit of every ball. When Zhang hit clean winners, she responded with her own. Racing to a 3-1 lead, Eala continued to press and closed out the set 6-2 to wrap up a convincing victory.Eala will next face American Iva Jovic in the second round.

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala opened her HSBC Championships campaign with a 6-3 6-2 victory over China's Zhang Shuai in London on Tuesday night (Philippine Time).

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala opened her HSBC Championships campaign with a 6-3 6-2 victory over China's Zhang Shuai in London on Tuesday night (Philippine Time).

Alex Eala outclasses Zhang Shuai in HSBC Championships opener

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Alex Eala outclasses Zhang Shuai in HSBC Championships opener

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 09, 2026 11:49 PM PHT

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Updated June 10, 2026 12:05 AM PHT

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Alex Eala

HSBC Championships

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